Hallandale Beach police trying to ID woman seen near slain couple's home

Residents at the Venetian Park Apartments have no reason to live in fear (Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel )

February 14, 2013|By Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel

HALLANDALE BEACH — After keeping mum for more than a month, police released surveillance video Thursday in the hope that the public can help identify a woman seen walking near the winter home of a slain Canadian couple.

Captured on a neighbor's surveillance system about 9:45 a.m. the day before the Jan. 10 discovery of the bodies of David "Donny" Pichosky, 71, and Rochelle Wise, 66, the video shows a woman walking to the rear of the area near the couple's Venetian Park condo with an unknown object in her hand, then reappear empty-handed.

Police quickly ruled the deaths a double homicide, but have yet to reveal the cause of death, motive or a possible suspect.

Police Chief Dwayne Flournoy said the footage has been shown to Venetian Park residents with no result.

"No one has been able to identify the person who is captured in the footage, that's why we're going to the public," Flournoy said. "We're not sure if this person is particularly involved in the case, but what we do know is that she is around the Pichosky/Wise residence very close to the last time that we have been able to confirm that Donny and Rochelle were alive."

In late January, Flournoy and a team of investigators made a five-day trip to Toronto to question the couple's friends, family, acquaintances and business associates.

Despite the lack of public information, Flournoy said that "the case is progressing very well" and the trip enabled detectives to "cast out some theories that just would not match their lifestyle."

As to whether the killer was a stranger or acquaintance, Flournoy said: "We're still exploring that."